Chapter 279 Fifth Rank, Upper Level (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
What Chen Yi sought was none other than Du Cang, the general of the Peacock King Banner of Vaishsa Kingdom who had previously met with Liu Hong.
These past few days.
He did try to find that person.
Therefore, he deliberately sneaked into Liu Hong's residence.
But the man named Du Cang seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Not only did he not appear in the city of Shu Prefecture, but he also did not meet with the people from Vaishsa Kingdom.
Chen Yi was somewhat worried.
"Your White Tiger Guards have many posts in Shuzhou Prefecture. Help me find him."
Lou Yuxue and Cui Qingwu exchanged a glance upon hearing this, their brows furrowing slightly.
"General Du Cang of the Peacock King Banner... He actually came to Shu Prefecture?"
"Liu Wu, is the information reliable?"
Chen Yi hummed in agreement, and noticing their expressions, he couldn't help but ask, "You know him?"
Lou Yuxue nodded, her expression gradually becoming serious.
"Du Cang is a very low-key person and rarely appears on the Tea Horse Road."
"But within the Peacock King's banner, he was the right-hand man of that King Lando."
“His status is even higher than that of Lü Jiunan.”
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow. "You mean he's very strong?"
Lou Yuxue shook her head. "It's not as simple as just being strong."
"He was known for his ruthlessness and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals."
"It is said that when the Peacock King's flag first rose to power, in order to expand his influence, Du Cang led his men to massacre several small city-states of Vaishsa Kingdom."
“Kill all adults, regardless of gender, except for children under ten years old.”
Lou Yuxue paused briefly, then heard Cui Qingwu add, "Furthermore, he used the secret methods of a sorcerer to erase the minds of those children."
“Now those children have grown into the core of the Peacock King’s army, and they are known as the ‘Jackal Army’.”
"Although Du Cang did not personally lead this 'jackal army,' I heard that those people obeyed him without question."
"This is also why Du Cang was able to become King Lando's right-hand man."
After listening, Chen Yi frowned slightly, "Du Cang..."
No wonder he was able to force Liu Hong to back down.
It turns out it wasn't just because King Lando had leverage over Liu Hong.
"This name doesn't sound like someone from Vashyapa?"
Lou Yuxue nodded. "You guessed right, Du Cang is from the Great Wei."
"Oh? Then why would he follow King Lando?"
"His exact background is no longer traceable."
"The White Tiger Guard's spies hiding over there have only sent back some scattered information."
"It is said that Du Cang was once a coachman in a family caravan. He was later attacked and seriously injured by bandits and was rescued by King Lando."
"After that, he became an apprentice of a sorcerer. Unexpectedly, he had an exceptional talent for sorcery. In just fifteen years, he became a third-rank sorcerer."
The top three grades...
Chen Yi nodded thoughtfully, "It seems they are not easy to deal with."
Of course, they are just not easy to deal with.
While the sorcery of sorcerers certainly has its merits, it also has obvious flaws.
However, this applies to Chen Yi himself.
If Du Cang has other intentions, then it's hard to say.
"Then I'll leave it to you two to find out his whereabouts."
"If you find any trace of him, please let me know so I can go and meet him."
Upon hearing this, Lou Yuxue hesitated before saying, "I know your cultivation and skills are not weak."
“But Du Cang has been famous for many years and has the ‘Jackal Army’ to help him. You probably won’t get the better of him if you go up against him alone.”
Chen Yi smiled and said, "Miss Yuxue, rest assured, I never do anything without being sure of success."
"you……"
Before Lou Yuxue could finish speaking, Cui Qingwu raised his hand to interrupt her, saying, "Instead of worrying about him, you should worry about yourself."
"Don't forget, we haven't reported what we've been doing to General Xing yet."
At this point, she glanced sideways at Lou Yuxue, then looked at Chen Yi meaningfully and said:
"Or is it that you've taken a fancy to this guy and want to elope with him?"
Lou Yuxue was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage, glaring at her and saying, "Luanfeng, stop talking nonsense!"
"If I'm wrong, why are you in such a hurry?"
"When did I get angry? You, you...you're being unreasonable!"
"Speechless, huh? Heh..."
"To be honest, your judgment is not bad. 'Dragon Spear' Liu Wu is one of the most outstanding spearmen in Shuzhou in recent years."
"You still dare to talk?!"
"I……"
Chen Yi watched them bicker, shook his head helplessly, and got up to walk outside.
"I'll leave these two matters to you two."
"If you have any news about Du Cang, you can send someone to post a notice in front of the prefectural government office—leaving a message: 'Where in the world can one find a kindred spirit?'"
“I will come to find you when I see you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Yi disappeared from the quiet room.
Cui Qingwu and Lou Yuxue were left alone, glaring at each other.
A moment later.
Cui Qingwu turned his head first, looking in the direction Chen Yi had disappeared, and said, "Everyone's gone, let's sit down and chat."
Lou Yuxue glared at her, took a deep breath, and sat down opposite her.
"Say what you want to say now."
Don't you think 'Liu Wu's' plan this time is far too audacious and reckless?
“It was alright to talk about Lü Jiunan and Zuo Wang Muhage’s son before, since those two didn’t come because of him.”
"But the following things, such as setting up the Jizhou Merchant Guild and impersonating bandits and barbarians from Vaishsa Kingdom, are all capital crimes."
Cui Qingwu paused briefly, then looked at Lou Yuxue and asked, "Why do you value him so much?"
"Or are you really planning to elope with him?"
Lou Yuxue snorted, "The fact that he was personally selected by the Pavilion Master is enough for me to take some risks."
"not enough."
"The Pavilion Master is far away in the capital city. He receives the news two or three days later than you and me."
"His previous high regard for 'Liu Wu' does not mean he will still hold him in high regard today."
Cui Qingwu's expression became more serious. "How can you be so sure that his actions won't bring disaster to Shu Prefecture?"
"The appearance of bandits and barbarian soldiers from Vaishsa in Shu Province will shake the entire Great Wei Dynasty."
"You and I know it's fake, but others don't. Even..."
She looked towards the north of Chunyu Tower and said meaningfully, "Perhaps that person will even take the opportunity to completely control the Dingyuan Army!"
Lou Yuxue's expression shifted uncertainly, "I...I believe him!"
Seeing that she wouldn't say, Cui Qingwu gave her a deep look and didn't press her further.
She got up and walked outside: "That's all I have to say. You can decide for yourself."
As she reached the door, she paused, turned around, and smiled.
"Of course, I do hope that what he did was really just to dampen the arrogance of the Jizhou Merchant Guild."
"That would be a great achievement for you, for me, and for our White Tiger Guard."
After saying that, Cui Qingwu glanced at Lou Yuxue, waved his hand and said he was leaving, then disappeared outside the door.
Lou Yuxue watched her walk away and spoke silently.
"Luan Feng..."
"asshole!"
Amidst the insults, a hint of embarrassment and annoyance inexplicably appeared on Lou Yuxue's face.
It's unclear whether she was embarrassed or upset because she lost the argument with Cui Qingwu, or because of something else.
Overall, she wasn't in a very good mood at the moment.
I sat quietly for a long time.
Lou Yuxue finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She remained convinced of her judgment—"Liu Wu" was a trustworthy person!
Even without the fact that the Pavilion Master invited "Liu Wu" to join the White Tiger Guard, she still believed that "Liu Wu" was trustworthy.
The reason is simple.
A person who kills Lü Jiunan and deals with the Jizhou Merchant Guild could not possibly be someone who stands against the White Tiger Guard.
To judge others by one's own standards.
If it were her, she would have killed Lü Jiunan if given the chance, because the Great Wei Dynasty and the Vaishsa Kingdom were originally enemies.
Similarly, she wished nothing more than to destroy the Jizhou Merchant Guild.
Therefore, based on these two things alone, she believed in "Liu Wu".
Even the identity of "Liu Wu" is secondary.
Thinking about these things, Lou Yuxue summoned her subordinates and ordered, "Send a message to investigate any suspicious people entering and leaving Shu Prefecture."
"Characteristics: short stature, sinister face, and fierce eyes."
The messenger accepted the order and left.
Just as Lou Yuxue was about to relax a bit, she heard another voice coming from outside the door.
"Lord General invites you."
"oh?"
"Hold on."
Lou Yuxue's expression shifted slightly, and she got up, put on a bamboo hat and a black cloak, and walked out of the quiet room.
After thinking for a moment, she asked the visitor to wait a moment, then returned to her room to retrieve a letter and bring it with her.
Not long after.
The two left Chunyu Tower and went to the tailor shop in the West Market, one after the other.
A general dressed in a blue robe was waiting at the door.
Lou Yuxue was about to bow when Jiang Xing smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Come in and let's talk."
Lou Yuxue nodded and followed him into the inner room of the tailor shop.
Others stood guard at the door.
Wait until the door is closed.
Lou Yuxue bowed and clasped her hands in greeting, saying, "My lord, was the trip successful?"
General Xing sat down at the table, smiling as he shook his head and then nodded: "It hasn't been smooth sailing, but we've made some progress."
"I've come to you today to ask for your advice."
"Please speak, sir."
"This time I went to the Tea Horse Road. Although I did not meet King Lando, I did receive his confirmation."
“If I want to get those ‘evidence’ from him in exchange, he needs me to do something for him.”
Lou Yuxue asked with slight hesitation, "About Lü Jiunan?"
From the information coming in from all sides, she can easily understand the intentions behind King Lando's actions on the Tea Horse Road.
He wanted to avenge his brother, Lü Jiunan!
General Xing sighed and said, "His reaction was both reasonable and unexpected."
"When I got there, I found out that Lü Jiunan was not just his brother, but had also arranged a marriage alliance for him with another band of bandits."
"With Lü Jiunan's death, the Peacock King's Banner has lost an ally, no wonder King Lando is furious."
Lou Yuxue's expression softened slightly. "So, he's determined to kill 'Liu Wu'?"
General Xing nodded and looked at her, saying, "I won't hide it from you."
"The condition proposed by King Lando was that the person who would reveal Liu Wu's whereabouts to him must do so."
"His men?"
Lou Yuxue's heart skipped a beat. "You mean... Du Cang, sir?"
General Xing exclaimed in surprise, "How do you know about this?"
"Could it be that Du Cang has already appeared in Shu Prefecture?"
Lou Yuxue muttered a few words to herself, then shook her head with a wry smile and said, "My lord, you are unaware of this."
“I met Liu Wu just half an hour ago. He… he already knows that Du Cang has come to Shu Prefecture and asked me to find his whereabouts.”
"That's... quite a coincidence."
That's strange.
General Xing secretly felt something was amiss.
He knew that Du Cang had come alone, and that not only the people of Shu Prefecture, but even few people within the Peacock King's Banner knew about it.
How did Liu Wu find out?
Thinking of this, General Xing pondered and said, "Then tell me, is it feasible to reveal his whereabouts to King Lando?"
Lou Yuxue instinctively wanted to shake her head, but after realizing her mistake, she suppressed the impulse and calmly said:
"I believe...this is inappropriate."
"Oh? Go on."
"My lord, please take a look."
Lou Yuxue took out a letter from her sleeve and handed it to him, then said, "This is from Liu Wu to his subordinates. It is written by Lin Huai'an of the Jizhou Merchant Guild to King Landu for the purpose of trading ironware."
"Ironware?"
Jiang Xing opened the document and looked at it. One page was in Sanskrit from Vaishsa, and the other was in Mandarin from the Central Plains.
However, he was looking at the Sanskrit one more often.
A moment later, a slight smile appeared on his face, and he said "okay" several times.
"It seems I no longer need to consider a deal with King Lando."
"With this, what is there to worry about..."
General Xing paused and looked at Lou Yuxue, "Did Liu Wu give this to you? Where did he get it?"
"According to him, he was right next to Lin Huai'an on the night he died, and this letter was obtained from Lin Huai'an."
"Did he kill Lin Huai'an?"
“I asked him the same question, but he did not admit it, claiming that it was done by someone else.”
After Lou Yuxue finished speaking, knowing that she had dissuaded Jiang Xing from revealing Liu Wu's whereabouts to King Landu, she carefully chose her words and said:
"My lord, I actually have another plan."
As General Xing pondered the origin of the ironware behind the letter, he carefully put the letter away and said, "Tell me about it."
"Since 'Liu Wu' is also looking for Du Cang, why not reveal his whereabouts to 'Liu Wu'?"
"Oh? You mean... you pretended to reveal 'Liu Wu's' whereabouts, but actually lured Du Cang into a trap?"
"That's exactly what I think."
"In this way, Your Excellency can also obtain more 'evidence' from King Lando, can't you?"
After listening, General Xing laughed and said repeatedly, "As expected of someone who is about to be promoted to the Golden Banner Officer, your mind is indeed quite quick."
Lou Yuxue smiled and said, "You flatter me, sir."
General Xing gave her a half-smile and asked, "Aren't you afraid that Liu Wu will die at Du Cang's hands?"
Lou Yuxue paused, bowed, and said, "Both sides are in the best interest of my White Tiger Guard."
It would be best to make that bastard suffer a great loss.
snort.
But...
That's what I think.
However, Lou Yuxue knew that Liu Wu's reaction when he learned about Du Cang's cultivation level was as calm as still water.
He clearly didn't take a sorcerer with the cultivation level of the third rank seriously.
She didn't believe that bastard would dare to be so arrogant.
"Then let's do as you say. I'll send a message over there later. But what about Liu Wu..."
"I will explain it to him."
"good……"
...
Inside the Chunhe Garden of the Xiao Residence.
Chen Yi was unaware that he had unwittingly escaped a calamity. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed, practicing the Four Symbols Technique.
After these few days of cultivation.
He has absorbed some of the profound mysteries of the [Martial Arts·Body] Perfect Realm, and with this, he has broken through to the perfect level of [Great Spear Stance Skill], [Xuanwu Breath Concealing Technique], and [Four Symbols Skill].
It's just that because it's still early, there's still room for improvement in the three techniques.
Even so, his improvement was still considerable.
His strength, which had not improved for a long time, was able to grow to the level of the Five Elements Power due to the breakthrough in [Great Spear Stance Skill].
The power of a single punch is equivalent to ten thousand catties, comparable to an ordinary sixth-grade martial artist.
The Xuanwu Breath Concealing Technique has also made great progress.
In addition to its breath-concentrating effect, the [Four Symbols Technique]'s spiritual energy further enhances its health-preserving and vitality-boosting effects.
Even without deliberate cultivation, he can enhance his spiritual energy and increase the power of various techniques when using the [Xuanwu Concealing Breath Technique].
As for the final [Four Symbols Technique], there has naturally been progress.
They deliberately shortened the time to break through the fifth-grade minor realm from ten days to eight days.
Furthermore, as he gradually absorbs the profound mysteries of [Martial Arts Body] and upgrades the level of [Four Symbols Technique], his cultivation speed will be even faster.
Besides these three major techniques, the biggest improvement came from the [Collapse Mountain Fist], which allowed Bai Daxian to be upgraded to the Heavenly Rank.
Unlike [Falling Dragon Spear] which is upgraded to the Heavenly Rank, the Heavenly Rank [Collapse Mountain Fist] is not simply an increase in moves.
Instead, it has an additional "mountain-shattering force," possessing the power to split mountains and cleave the earth.
If the training is perfected, Chen Yi will be able to add "Collapse Mountain Force" to any move he makes.
In other words, he can use the power of collapsing mountains to enhance the power of the Dragon Falling Spear Technique when performing it.
However, it is limited to the moment the spear touches the enemy, unlike the layering method of deliberately and freely releasing true essence and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Nevertheless, this greatly enhanced Chen Yi's close-combat skills.
It's almost midnight.
Chen Yi slowly finished his practice, got up from the bed, and clenched his fist.
"Fifth Rank, Upper Stage, tsk, the speed of cultivation improvement has indeed increased a lot."
"It was the right decision for me to raise [Martial Arts Body] to perfection back then."
If it were martial arts footwork, swordsmanship, or other techniques, his current cultivation level and other skills would not have made such great progress.
Even improving one's fist techniques would only enhance his close-combat skills, not his overall abilities as they are now.
Chen Yi went to the window and looked at the night scene in the courtyard, pondering to himself.
"The Jizhou Merchant Guild is nothing but a bunch of small fry; the most important person is... Liu Hong..."
As the cold autumn wind blew, the fallen leaves drifted slowly down.
Chen Yi's hair fluttered, and a smile appeared on his otherwise calm face.
"I should get some exercise too."
"Come to think of it, Liu Hong's second son hasn't shown up for a while."
Just then, a golden light suddenly appeared—
[Daily Intelligence - Low-Grade Mystic: At 3:45 AM, Marquis Dingyuan, Xiao Yuan, meets with Chen Yi, the owner of Baicaotang. A small opportunity may be obtained.]
After reading it, Chen Yi couldn't help but chuckle.
"Chen Yi, the owner of Baicaotang?"
"They really seized this opportunity very well..."
(End of this chapter)
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